In normal conditions, 3D printing is a popular vehicle for technology teachers to sprinkle innovation within their instruction. When they combine physical and digital construction, 3D printing helps students to think like engineers, solve problems in incredibly unique ways, collaborate with their classmates on truly creative solutions, and a whole lot more. It’s been tough for educators to keep 3D printing as part of their curricular offerings during the pandemic, however, with learning taking place remotely, the need to keep children out of close-contact group work, and funds being redirected to other areas. However, it's still possible to use 3D printing in remote learning or enjoy its other benefits for those learning in-person.
The Latest on 3D Printing in Education
Earlier this month, the MakerBot team released an in-depth update on the trends and expectations for 3D printing in education. As an industry leader, especially when it comes to utilizing these machines in STEAM learning, the MakerBot team offered some very helpful pieces of information for educators as well as those who work in the 3D printing industry. This report included a whole lot of information and focused mainly on how using 3D printers as legitimate teaching and learning tools could help drive student engagement while they’re developing career-ready skills, like critical thinking, design thinking, and problem solving. It also had insights from over 1,000 education professionals, sharing their views and takes on 3D printing in education.
Among the key figures in the release, they determined that over 60 percent of educators surveyed believed that 3D printing experiences helped better prepare their students for the modern workforce. To put this into context, however, many didn't indicate that the 3D printer alone is what helped prepare these students. It’s the availability of ancillary pieces, like online curricula and project ideas, technical support, teacher training programs, as well as other educational resources that help these teachers use 3D printers successfully and effectively. In education, the use of 3D printing and availability of 3D printers are each increasing and at a high point. Plus, because it helps students think like STEAM professionals and learn relevant, it’s growing independent from the pandemic.
Other key topics at the top of many conversations about 3D printing in education appeared in the report as well. They included using 3D printing to create authentic learning experiences and moving away from more traditional learning settings. Another hot topic is the realization that to truly teach STEM subjects as well as possible teachers need resources that their school and district leaders are often unable to obtain. Whether it’s due to budgetary limits, insufficient equipment, or a lack of comfort with using certain STEM tools, lots of educators feel that their efforts repeatedly fall short. And, one of the main takeaways was that educators need and want more than just a 3D printer—they want a complete solution. Like we said, it’s the availability of these secondary pieces that truly help make these solutions great.
3D Printing and the COVID-19 Pandemic
As schooling, in most cases, has shifted online throughout the pandemic, it hasn’t necessarily meant the end of using technology. Though 3D printers aren’t likely at the top of many teachers’ requests during this time, some teachers—particularly in the upper grades—are still finding ways to use them. This may involve remote 3D printing like with MakerBot's CloudPrint system or navigating ways to do it in person. However, educators are not the only ones making use of 3D printing during this time and, as we have seen since the pandemic began, there will be shortages of supplies in certain areas. Well, one of those areas looks to be in the availability of 3D printing materials. You might immediately wonder why this is. And, to be fair, there are a few answers to that question that do make a lot of STEM-related sense.
One explanation is that makers came together as the virus first started spreading and there were shortages of medical supplies. If you recall, doctors would regularly talk about how they had these huge shortages of masks and face shields so many of them felt unsafe as they were treating coronavirus patients. Well, many members of the maker community began to design and 3D print face shields for doctors and nurses who were risking their lives. Creating face shields with 3D printers was a great alternative since there was such a shortage, but it quickly led to a 3D printing filament shortage as well. This, in turn, led to a conversation about whether educators should even attempt to keep 3D printing in their curricula since this was already challenging logistically and financially and could now potentially interfere with fighting the pandemic.
Then, there’s the other side of the equation, however. Some educators and their students joined the fight to mass produce 3D printed medical equipment. In fact, educators involved in one of our longest partnerships with the Harmony Public Schools did just that. Using the LulzBot 3D printers, they 3D printed hundreds of protective face shields for doctors in their area—a project we were all really excited to be a part of. As the pandemic continued, we know there have been shortages or longer delivery times with things people really need. This also led some of the more innovative ones to use 3D printing for solutions—also contributing to filament shortages. So, while it proved helpful and necessary when the pandemic surged, we’re also aware that excessive reliance could be problematic.
The Short Term Influence of 3D Printing on Education
There are a lot of technologies that are making an impact on education and that probably does go without saying. Innovations like AI, the IoT, VR, and robotics are just some areas with great improvements over the last few years. We can probably feel free to put 3D printing on this growing list as well. Within many school makerspaces and a fair share of classrooms, 3D printing is now a regular part of STEAM learning. Since it combines hands-on construction with digital design, 3D printing is a favorite among maker educators and also among students. As 3D printers get more affordable and teachers are able to provide feedback when it comes to what they need in order to facilitate hassle-free lessons, the future looks bright for 3D printing in education. And, it's even brighter when you factor in a full-time return to school sometime in 2021.
Every year, it seems teachers and education professionals expect 3D printing to be among the most trendy areas of innovation. We can probably all agree, however, that the 2021 calendar year is still very much up in the air when it comes to in-person learning, but that doesn’t mean new predictions won't emerge. Since 3D printing is potentially possible in remote learning, it’s one aspect of STEAM education that still shows some promise even as students remain home. When 3D printing, children often learn to put theories into practice by digitally designing objects associated with any academic subject. Since it aligns with any subjects, kids can manufacture prints that are related to what they are discussing. They could even do so remotely using systems like MakerBot’s CloudPrint or Tinkercad.
When you think about it, 3D printing isn’t just for students. While it can certainly help them further develop their technical and creative skills, teachers can also use 3D printing to help paint a much clearer picture for kids. Having three-dimensional visual aides to refer to during lessons may help students better understand the intricacies of what instructors are discussing and even lead to new realizations and discoveries. Rather than spending money on replicas of things like human skeletons or other bones, the students and teachers can work together to 3D print them and teachers can then teach with them after that! As schools hopefully reopen for in-person learning, we hope educators can return to using 3D printing to its full potential!
3D Printing Combined With Other STEAM Solutions
We’ve always been huge fans of STEAM and EdTech tools that children could pair with other STEAM and EdTech tools. Some of our favorites are littleBits, which work with the Sphero robots, like the RVR, or the micro:bit, and the Raspberry Pi, which works with the Sphero RVR's as well, and the GoPiGo Robot. But, what does 3D printing have to do with this? Well, some of the robots in the STEAM education landscape at the moment incorporate 3D printing. This allows children to design and manufacture those parts they need to build the robots themselves! There’s also a possibility they may, at some point, need to 3D print various replacement parts for their learning tools. Should that arise, it’s (possibly) 3D printing to the rescue.
One of the first STEAM tools to combine 3D printing and robotics was the EZ-Robot. Though we no longer offer it, it's a fine example of how modular parts come together and form robotic systems. And, since each part is a specific size and shape, putting these measurements into a 3D printing program allowed students to print additional parts or replacements to use in building their bot. Fast forward to today and another one of those robots with a similar situation is the Marty Robot. We just added this offering to our store recently though we do not currently offer the buildable version. The version we sell is pre-built, allowing students to start coding right away, but there's different kits that'll require assembly. If, for whatever reason, kids need different pieces or one breaks along the way, they can 3D print new parts.
As we alluded to, robots aren’t the only adjacent STEAM area with some form of 3D creation. We also do a lot across 3D forming, scanning, and laser printing and offer solutions for each. Not exactly the same as 3D printers, these devices provide a twist on manufacturing in classrooms or makerspaces. First is the Mayku FormBox, a 3D former for making molds from dozens of different objects in seconds using an existing, 3D printed, or sculpted shape. Next, there’s the Matter and Form 3D scanner. Using this, kids can digitize the physical objects, display them on their screens, and manipulate them using software. It measures physical objects, scans them, and creates a 3D file—essentially the opposite of the 3D printers. Finally, there's the Glowforge machines, which are 3D laser printers. With these, students can cut and engrave dozens of different materials, using them to get the perfect shape!
3D Printing and Remote Learning
We’ve mentioned how 3D printing is still a potential STEAM activity for children even as many are learning from home. So, we’ll try to explain how this might work when students and teachers are all in two different locations. The Internet has made a lot of educational innovations possible and this is another thanks to the cloud in particular. Basically, even though they’re all in different locations, students should be able to use a computer to connect with a 3D printer that’s anywhere in the world over the Internet. Since they're using an Internet connection rather than Bluetooth, they don't have to be physically close to their printers. To do this and make remote 3D printing possible, the system we believe is most successful is MakerBout CloudPrint.
Kids can use MakerBot CloudPrint with either a MakerBot METHOD 3D printer or a MakerBot SKETCH 3D printer. It’s very easy to get started with the CloudPrint software since no downloads are required. They can simply open up the program online and provide the printer's 6-digit authorization code. Teachers, who presumably will physically be with the printer or printers, can relay codes to each student in their class. So, students can be anywhere in the world and still connect to their MakerBot printer thanks to the CloudPrint platform. And, they can also access the full suite of 3D printing options and features associated with their MakerBot 3D printers!
To use CloudPrint, students and teachers need to be able to log in with a MakerBot account. If they do not have one at the moment, it’s real easy to create one. Once logged in, students can queue 3D prints on their printer, which might be in their classroom or teacher’s home. They can also access all the same information remotely, which allows groups to collaborate on these projects in real time. Once they begin the 3D printing process, the real-time CloudPrint system helps them precisely monitor the progress of all prints. It can also maximize efficiency using a design feature called intelligent queuing. CloudPrint and the MakerBot printers are also compatible with different CAD programs, including Autodesk, if you’d like to try that. And, all of the MakerBot SKETCH and METHOD 3D printers can be found on our store.
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